Now, let’s talk reality.

I purchased my tickets on the second day of sales lest they be sold out. I’m glad I had the money for a Gold ticket. Now, my other friend, since was a die-hard fan of Miku, also wanted to see Miku. He wasn’t as lucky as me, but at least he had a job. He saved his money. Yeah, like that. Saving, saving, and saving until he could afford to buy 1 Gold-class ticket. His endeavour is worthy of a standing ovation. To show my support to him, I’ve agreed to let him stay at my place during his stay in Jakarta so he can use the money to buy merchandise.

See, Miku? Your fans love you. Or is it just that 1 person?

Let’s see reality. Miku concert tickets, under normal circumstances should at least be sold out after 1 week. Taylor Swift tickets sold out faster than me eating a jumbo-sized popcorn at the movies (I eat 1 fistful of popcorn at a time). But to this date, MikuExpo tickets are STILL on sale, to the point that the event organizer is collaborating with 7-Eleven in an attempt to sell tickets! Now wait a second, isn’t that odd? Shouldn’t a large fanbase guarantee an instant rush for tickets? I mean, as I’m writing this post, there are STILL tickets available for the Gold- and Platinum-classes.

Here’s where it gets interesting. If you visit the official MikuExpo 2014 fan page on Facebook, take a look at the comment section of certain posts (like the announcement of ticket sales. We have fans deliberately stating that they’d prefer watching the concert on YouTube in HD 1080p and saying that the money is better off used for other things, like buying a Senheisser headset and listening to the concert on YouTube! Some even requested a “student’s price”, some suggested others to record the concert and share on YouTube!

Seriously, how low can you f***ers go?

You claim to be fans of Miku. Why can’t you spare a dime to watch her? To put things in perspective, the cheapest Miku tickets are IDR 390K, while the VVIP-class are sold for IDR 1390K. Convert that to USD using 1 USD = IDR 10K (for the sake of math simplicity) and we get a price range of USD 39 – 139. Seem expensive now? We need to remember that Indonesia is an archipelagic nation. The concert is held in Jakarta, mainly because Jakarta has the largest market relative to all Indonesia, thus more likely to attract a larger crowd. Let’s take my friend as an example. Plane tickets from Bali – Jakarta on a budget airline cost somewhere from IDR 300K – 700K depending on season, the availability of promos, and which airline you take. Assuming an optimistic scenario, we’ll take air tickets for IDR 400K, one-way. He bought a Gold-class ticket, which is priced at IDR 1000K. That means he has already spent IDR 1800K, which is already a LOT of money by Indonesian middle-class standards. I haven’t even started to account for accommodation and merchandise spending. The most expensive piece of official merchandise is an awesome COSPA graphic shirt that costs IDR 500K, which I would kill to have.

Seeing this high budget JUST to get to Jakarta, no wonder fans from the other islands want it so bad on YouTube. This I understand and I will not continue discussion on this. If only Indonesia’s transportation system was efficient, like in Japan.

If you want a fatter shopping list, imagine if Miku’s concert was held in Japan. Round-trip tickets to Japan can cost up to IDR 10 000K. Accommodation is ridiculously expensive in Japan (without prior booking) and not to mention food and beverage. The concert tickets themselves will cost 9000 yen for the VVIP class and they have a narrower price range. And not to mention merchandise shopping. Still want to say Miku’s concert is expensive?

But what about the fanbase located in Jakarta? To live in Jakarta and maintain a middle-class lifestyle, an average, middle-class person at least requires a disposable income of IDR 2000K. That’s for just a single person. Which is why the minimum wage in Jakarta is around IDR 2700K. But wait, not all Miku fans have jobs already. Most of them are still in school, be it junior or senior high, meaning they still live off their parents. They get pocket money right? Would saving, like IDR 10K/day, be a giant pain in the ass? In a month and a half, that could get you a Bronze-class ticket (IDR 390K). Doesn’t matter; still saw Miku, right?

But then again, I realize not all you may be that lucky and discussion of financial matters tend to spiral into endless and needless debate.

You can’t attend the concert due to budget reasons, that’s fine. But, should you be posting the “I can’t watch, better watch it on YouTube” bullshit? This is where I draw the line. NO, it is not f***ing okay. You can’t see the concert, that’s okay. Nobody’s gonna persecute you just for not going to a concert. But to deliberately state that you’d rather take the low road and on the OFFICIAL PAGE too, that’s f***ed up and you’re guaranteed to be a laughing stock.

Remember, Crypton staff observe the page. I remember, like around a month before, MikuExpo staff added a subtle yet ominous item to their FAQ. It ends with the question “Will this be Miku’s first and last concert in Indonesia?” Which makes us think. What if it really is? And it’s all because of a group of whiny little f***ers who posted the “watch it on YouTube” crap on the official fan page.

We can’t blame Crypton. They’re a company, trying to make profit, no matter how small their profit may be. Perhaps in the later years, Crypton will stick to Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan for Miku concerts. And when that time comes, Indonesian fans will be sitting in front of their computers, waiting to watch Miku perform on YouTube, only to find this message:

“This video is not available in your country because you’ve been a huge d*** to Miku. Regards, Crypton. P.S. Miku says ‘f*** you,’” accompanied with a picture of Miku pouting threateningly and raising her middle finger.

There’s already a number of comic strips circling around Facebook, with similar content: Miku feels betrayed by her fans in Indonesia because they prefer to watch her on YouTube rather than buying a ticket to her debut performance in Indonesia. And I think this one is the best.

Which makes you think, are Indonesians real fans of Miku? Or are they just bandwagon weeaboos lacking original love to Miku? Is their love just that, like bootlegs? We have word in Indonesian, known as “KW” (read: KHA-way) which means “fake” or “of inferior quality”. This phrase is commonly used to describe bootlegs. Hence the term “KW love” or “love of inferior quality”.

Thank you Miku, for deciding to come to Indonesia. You have fulfilled one of my life goals and I will continue to appreciate you by buying your Nendoroids.

So, are you also headed to MikuExpo 2014? I’ll be at the concert too in Gold-class!